It’s time for libraries to stop functioning like grocery stores where people simply come to get stuff and start acting more like kitchens where people come to create and tell their own stories. This program will provide insights into why libraries need to start empowering users of all ages to work with videos, music, podcasts, and graphic design. Also, hear about “StoryTubes”, an exciting yet simple project that combines kids’ interest in technology with their love for books and reading. We’ll end with some tips on how to create a simple digital media lab for you library.

The main point of the presentation is that libraries need to stop functioning only like grocery stores where people simply come to get stuff and start functioning like kitchens where people do stuff and create stuff. Joyce Valenza wrote about this metaphor after hearing Joan Frye Williams speak on it back in 2008. Here are my slides from this presentation:

The second presentation was much shorter as I was part of a panel discussing examples of transliteracy in action at libraries. Here’s the description for this program:

Transliteracy is the ability to read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media from signing and orality through handwriting, print, TV, radio and film, to digital social networks. This session looks at the practical aspects of what we can do to help our patrons become transliterate citizens, including real world examples from academic, public and school libraries. Sponsored by LITA Transliteracy Interest Group.

Here are my slides for that presentation.

Thanks to Bobbi Newman for inviting me to take part in this program. And thanks to everyone who attended both of these presentations today. Please leave a comment here if you’d like to continue the conversation!

Be a Good Boss
Cathy Hakala-Ausperk from Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library
Kimberly Bolan Cullin from Kimberly Bolan & Associates

Presentation slides

• you’ll never be a truly great library director unless you know how to fix a toilet
• educate yourself and set a good example
• three kinds of bosses: newbie, know but don’t “have” time (most bosses), don’t know what they don’t know (think they know it all)
• who’s the best boss you’ve ever had?
• good bosses make you feel like they believe in you
• being a boss touches every single corner of your library
• you have to learn a lot of things, but the thing that matters the most is how you treat other people
• bosses set the tone of the workplace and touch the lives of ppl so that they can be everything they can be
• good bosses know that they have a lot to offer and a lot to learn
• what’s needed to achieve and maintain greatness? three things…
• commitment – need to have the right attitude, need the commitment to become a great boss.
• time (1 hour a week) – how to carve out 1 hour per week: arrest the time thieves, check email only twice a day, stop polishing the pearl (not everything needs to be perfect), master the art of nonfinishing (drop the stuff that’s not worth the time, move onto to stuff that’s more productive), skip a lunch…it’s your career!
• other professionals continue training, so should librarians! we need to invest in our own development on a personal level
• a plan – a lot of workbooks out there that will help you put together a plan to become a good boss (cathy has a workbook coming out in summer called “be a good boss”).
• write your own workbook – not that difficult to do. perform a SWOT analysis on your own leadership and design a plan based on those
• mentoring is key, learning from others and sharing your wisdom and experience with others
• mentoring can be spontaneous, not necessarily a formal thing
• resources: http://www.workforce.com and http://blogs.hbr.org and http://feeds.harvardbusiness.org/harvardbusiness
• audience comments and questions:
• stop being a know-it-all and respect where people are at and what they want for their own work and career
• admit your mistakes, just be honest, shows strength and gains respect from staff
• getting out into your community to the point where your staff don’t know where you are and you lose touch with them, not a good thing!
• sign that things are going well is when there is initiative and ppl are coming forward with new ideas
• importance of setting clear expectations and communicating them well
• if you’re going to say something that’s kind of difficult, start by saying, “i have to say something that’s kind of difficult…”
• how do you discipline without creating ill feelings? set clear expectations so criticism doesn’t come as a surprise. start by saying, “look, my job is to help you succeed. we have a problem…so how can we figure out how to improve things and help you succeed?” let them contribute to the solution. let hem know you’re on their side.
• how do you help your boss become a better boss if you have a bad boss? honest communication. get a new job if it doesn’t get better. don’t stay in a workplace that makes your life miserable and doesn’t allow you to be productive and grow.

Michael Porter

• libraries need a new electronic content distribution and access infrastructure
• libraries operate on content and community
• an organization needs to be created to develop this type of system, one that can articulate why we need to do this and to get the programmers and the legal experts to work on this
• an organization that isn’t pre-existing so that it isn’t bound by anything
• question from audience: what is “it” exactly?
• problem: amazon and apple (itunes) have created electronic access infrastructures that are proprietary and have shut libraries out completely

Monique Sendze

• smart phone and augmented reality
• superimposing digital data on top of reality
• libraries becoming more intelligent with sharing data with patrons
• walking into a library and holding up your phone, getting information about materials (reviews, related programs, subject headings) right away
• qrcodes – 2d barcodes
• sacramento and contra costa libraries are on their way to using qr codes
• using qr codes for readers advisory. putting on popular materials. qrcodes provide read-alikes and reviews. mobile tagging.
• qrcodes out in the community to help ppl connect to the library’s materials, services, and events even when they’re not in the library building
• not mainstream yet but it has a future in libraries
• question: who’s going to develop those augmented reality apps?
• question: how are you going to train staff on many different phones so they can help patrons? a: no different from the plethora of e-readers out there and knowing how to use those devices. a new type of librarianship where we can provide assistance with technology devices.
• kate: we can’t say “no” anymore, we need to get in there and figure it out
• michael: if we keep in mind our mission, we’re going to be fine because we’re going to do things to keep up with what ppl want, which includes technology

David Lee King

• e-book readers
• first e-book: 1971
• right now at least 20 different manufacturers creating e-book readers
• many different operating systems and formats
• different kinds of screens
• like the 1990s with video, lots of different formats, manufacturers, etc.
• all going to change in a few days with the ipad coming out
• 1984 apple changed the computer industry
• ipod changed music industry
• iphone changed cell phone industry
• ipad is going to do the same thing to the gaming industry and the e-book industry
• thinks ipad is going to be a better e-book reader because of the touch tech, color, screen, multi-touch, publishers involved (six large publishers), other features
• how does this affect libraries? can your entire staff use e-books if patrons ask. huge problem.
• another problem, a lot of these ppl will go around libraries now and go directly to apple
• will libraries check out e-book readers and how will this happen?
• michael: the ease of access to the content really made the iphone attractive
• also, apple had the distribution system figured out with iphone and itunes, exact same thing is happening to the ipad
• michael: don’t think about the brand (apple, netflix, etc), but think about the functionality instead. why do ppl like to use something? what do they do that makes them successful?
• twitter q: how do we train our staff if we can’t afford to buy these tech gadgets? d: friends group is funding purchase of tech toys. k: patrons might have gadgets and might be willing to show staff how to use these tools
• michael: makes him angry that we’re the info professionals and we have to ask patrons to use something that we can’t afford to provide. we’re the best at this, why can’t we get the things we need? we need something new.
• monique: vendors should be giving us these devices
• question: what about the ppl who are the have nots, the ppl who don’t have this tech.
• michael: if we can’t figure out how to crack the “content” nut, we’re not going to have enough support to keep the lights on.

Kate Sheehan

• Change in the Digital Divide
• jessamyn west recently did a presentation on this, slides available at librarian.net
• we’re usually talking about the “haves” when talking about top tech trends
• to some extent, we need to make some peace with that. BUT we’re heading down a dangerous path if we completely ignore the ppl who have not
• we’re getting more ppl coming online, ppl need instruction and help with technology
• ppl are going to come in with their stuff and want to have content that works with what they have
• libraries are safe places to learn about technology, we’re nice and not going to judge ppl about lack of knowledge or skills
• monique: stats show that 40% of americans still don’t have internet in their homes, big problem. for quite some time yet, libraries are going to be that safe haven for the havenots. however, we need to be mindful that we’re not pushing away the haves and the more advanced users. perfect example: charlotte’s imagineon
• dlk: find out who you’re customers are focus on serving them. don’t think of it in terms of the underserved and overserved. in topeka, “underserved” are the upper middle class who don’t live near the library. the lib has never tried serving them. that’s who the lib in topeka needs to focus on.

If you’d like to read more about the performance, please check out this nice post on the PLA blog. Here’s a short video of most of the encore performance…